donkey votes

[Rowan]

I'm confused, and not for the first or last time!!!!

If in an electioin you cast an invalid vote it is called a donkey vote, but if you cast a valid vote it doesnt have a title.
Yet voting correctly for most politicians is voting for an "ass" anyway (as in a mule) .....................................................................

so why aren't they called "ass" votes????????????

[AlexS]

Because the asses objected...they reckoned it slandered them!

[craigb]

Sorry Rowan, a Donkey vote is not invalid. It's when you just vote 1 2 3 4 in order. IE you just follow tha card. I will still be counted.

An invalid vote, like you don't mark the paper for instance, is an informal vote.

[oges]

doesnt matter who you vote for a damn politician always gets in!

[bitingmidge]

Just an observation, or a rhetorical question perhaps:

Is there a connection between-

The heading of this thread : Donkey Votes

and that oh so annoying euphamism for "Election"; Australia Votes?

Why oh why do we have to replace one perfectly good word - "Election" with what could be the new name for the Australian Electoral Commission, (using the GPO/Australia Post example!)

Cheers,

P

[vsquizz]

An Australia Vote or Aussie Ballot as it is called in the States originates from that great Aussie invention the Ballot Box whereby your vote was anonomous. Invented in the 1850's to prevent the old show of hands and local officials applying peer pressure to the ballot.


Cheers

[wonnie]

from: http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Aus...ectoral_system

The challenge of numbering the ballot paper leads a certain number of voters to simply number the candidates from 1 to 10 (or whatever) straight down the ballot paper. This is called the donkey vote. It gives some advantage (perhaps 1 or 2%) to the candidate at the top of the ballot paper. Before 1984, candidates appeared in alphabetical order, which led to a profusion of Aaronses and Abbotts contesting elections. (The most famous example of this was the 1937 election, in which the Labor Senate ticket in New South Wales consisted of candidates named Armour, Ashley, Armstrong and Arnold: all were elected.) Since 1984 ballot paper order has been decided by lot

[jackiew]

was told by my history teacher in the uk that if we ever found ourselves voting in an election where we believed that none of the candidates were worth voting for then we should take the opportunity to communicate with all of them by writing something appropriate on the ballot paper.

Apparently where it is not clear who the voter has voted for all of the candidates have to examine the ballot paper to agree that it can be disregarded. Don't know if this is the case here in oz. A good opportunity to let them know that you disagree with their policies on plastic bags for instance .

I get to vote for the first time here in the coming election and I have to say you guys couldn't have made it more complicated if you'd tried :eek:

[silentC]

Do they actually have elections in the UK? I thought the British government was made up of decrepit old men (and women) in tweed jackets, there by virtue of an accident of birth. Or maybe that's the board of the MCC. I get those two mixed up sometimes.

[AlexS]

Don't vote, it only encourages them!

[echnidna]

Heeeeeeeeeeee..haaaaaaawwwwwwwww

[Termite]

One wants to be a little USA.
One wants to pull the shutters down and go on our own.
One wants to save the trees and legalise drugs.
One is most of the time ******.(drunk)
THE DONKEY LOOKS GOOD TO ME, at least he won't s**t on us any more than the others.

[Kev Y.]

I hope you all realise that the easiest (sp?) way to get your sitting member to work is NOT TO VOTE FOR HIM!

I am always amused by those people who choose to submit a donkey vote, a paper with no marks at all or some other dememted idea.

They are usually the first ones to complain when the elected political party passes a stupid law which ultimatly effects them.

Voteing is a painful process for us but one we must endure, my daughter who is 18 has to face this prospect for the first time this year, however when she was 15 and starting to develope a social conscience, she asked "HOW did you choose who to vote for, when it was obvious that BOTH sides were lying just to get you to vote for them?"

I responded with something along the lines of.. vote for the one who's lies appeal to you the best!.

[craigb]

IMO, unless you happen to live in a marginal electorate, your vote is largely irrelevent.

Safe seats rarely change hands.

Unforunately, I've somehow managed to contrive to alway live in a safe seat

Craig

[Ben from Vic.]

They are usually the first ones to complain when the elected political party passes a stupid law which ultimatly effects them.

This is true.

It is my honest opinion that those who intentionaly cast a dud vote are not really entitled to complain about anything political as they have made their opinion not count.


Ben